Wow, it's really easy to forget just how much work a new pup is. I think we're mostly doing okay. We're head over heel's with him obviously, he's wormed his way in quickly. We've had quite a few accident's over the first few days, just through us not watching him close enough and/or being too slow. They've mostly been in the kitchen, so easy to clean up with the Hardfloor Solutions spray. He had one accident on his first night inside the crate, he pooped after us having him out, we thought he was crying to get out of the crate. During the day he's out every 30 minutes, unless we see him sniffing around. We're now thinking we've not been encouraging him to accept his crate enough. Since we picked him up on Sunday he's been our little shadow. He fall's asleep during the day cuddled into one of us. And with us both being home he's only really been in his crate for feeding times, or overnight. His crate is in his pen in the kitchen during the day and has been upstairs with us at night. He's settled within 15 minutes every night and after night potty breaks. Last night we moved his crate into the hall outside our room, he settled fine until his first potty break. Then he screamed the place down for an hour, we moved his crate back into our room, but I think he was too upset by then. For our neighbours sake we ended up with him on our bed, we are semi-detached. I know this was the wrong thing to do, and now we're wondering what we should do tonight. We're going to encourage him going into his crate more today, we can't leave treat's lying in the crate to surprise him as Misty just eats them. So we have been closing the baby gate to keep Misty out the kitchen, and then letting Jake see us dropping treats in. Sorry for the wall of text. Overall we're going great, but worried we're creating a monster at bedtime.
I spent lots of time in the kitchen during the day with Juno so after we had played I used to make a cup of tea and sit on a stool and read. Juno had the option of curling up near my feet or going into her crate (or the cats' bed). Sometimes it was the crate sometimes not but I left it to her to decide. She slept in her crate in our bedroom for around 12 nights and then I moved her to the kitchen without any fuss. Give him the opportunity to go in the crate a d if there's nice treats in there he'll soon be fine.
Thanks Rosemary. I worrying we're setting him up to fail I guess. He's been in his pen a lot more today, after failed toilet visits, and if he's tired we're popping him in and he's been napping in his crate. We fed his second meal in a kong in the crate with the door open, his first time with one, I had to encourage him with it, he could smell the food, but couldn't really figure out where it was I had just put his ration in dry and smeared a little peanut butter around the top. Up to now he's been spending most of the time in the living room with us roaming free, it's carpeted which is why we don't have his pen in there. We gave the kitchen table and chairs away to charity so we could fit his pen in the kitchen, so we've nowhere to sit , today I've been cleaning in there and washing dishes, or sitting on a beanbag reading on my tablet. Guess I'd better get used to that. Any tips for toileting in the rain? My monster doesn't seem to want to do anything when it's raining, he just lies down and started chewing at the grass...
Sounds Li,e things are going quite well . Can't wait to see photos of hm now When you take him outside for a wee or poo, make sure you praise him lots and give him a few treats. I always used to say 'go wee wee' as she was going. Now she's older I say 'go wee wee' and she will usually go As for being on your bed, it is a personal decision that only you can make. Harley didn't like the crate so ended up in our bedroom on her bed on the floor. After a week or two she ended up on our bed and has been there ever since. Some people love this (as I do), but others prefer them in a crate or another room - personal preference
A rain and Labrador . Juno loves the rain . When go out and it's raining she raises her face into the rain . If it's windy as well she's a very happy girl. I would invest in a hood jacket with a hood ready for the wet weather to slip on as for me it's easier than an umbrella and if Jake doesn't want to wee just take him back indoors after 5 minutes or so and try again in 10 - 15 minutes. Lots of praise when he does wee and a treat is a good idea as it can help with training to wee when asked. Toileting is such a difficult time but you'll come through it. It helps to have a reasonably regular timetable for eating, play, training and sleeping. Just add a toileting trip to each and you will slowly get less accidents and of course age helps as they begin to learn the signals better themselves and have better control. If you watch Jake you will start to pick up his signals, particularly watch for sniffing. I always try to remember that our dogs turn out pretty well balanced even if we get some things wrong when they are little and take each day as it comes and enjoy that little pup as much as possible - you'll have crocopup soon enough
I'm a really mean mum to Juno as she's not allowed upstairs or to curl up on the sofa and she's absolutely fine. Apart from the early days in her crate in the bedroom she has always slept in the kitchen. As Naya says it's all personal preferences and whether you want o share your bed in the future with a 25kg+ dog
Charlie has absolutely no choice in the matter - we insist he comes and cuddles up with us in bed, we can't sleep otherwise! It's simply not fair to deprive humans of Labrador cuddles in bed. As for Charlie, if he has to be in a crate and not the bed, he's fine.
I've been thinking about this. I do not think it was the wrong thing to do to let him on your bed - I think it was the right thing to do. What probably was the wrong thing to do was let him get distressed in the crate in the first place (not that you knew that would happen). I've just been reading an article posted via facebook on the merits of not leaving a puppy to 'cry it out' and I'm pretty convinced. Tiny baby, separated from mum, and doesn't feel safe alone. Really, what we should be focused on is not the dangers of encouraging crying (although undesirable) but why the puppy is crying at all. My next pup (if there is one, yet tbd) is going to be right by my bed (or on it) and very gradually moved out to sleep on its own in a crate. (While I love dogs on beds, I do think they need to be able to sleep alone in a crate when required! )
Thanks all. We have done much better with toileting today, both our improvement and Jake's. We have been praising lots and treating if he does anything, he's learnt quickly to offer a sit as jumping for his treat gets him nowhere. He's been quicker to go on quite a lot of trips,which I think is down to our timing. We're popping the crate back at the bottom of the bed tonight, a step back to where we last had success. I didn't mind him sleeping on our bed. Murphy our first Cavalier did after he was a year old, then when we rescued Misty she stole a corner of my pillow, and she snores like a freight train. Jake actually slept from 2am until 7:30am on the bed, we hadn't set an alarm as he's been up at 6am normally. Jane it's definitely food for thought, I couldn't leave him any longer it broke my heart. He's small, alone and was obviously feeling abandoned.
Oh. And could someone explain to Jake that 8 and a half weeks is too young for lager! He's trying his best to get a sip of my OH's
